South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Sunday it would check whether global tech companies abuse their monopolistic control to disrupt fair competition in the local market. "The plan is to check the information technology and electronics sectors to see whether the dominant actors are abusing their control," Fair Trade Commission (FTC) chairman Jeong Jae-chan said, adding that greater resources will be allocated to examining the local mobile operating system (OS) and platform markets, which a handful of companies dominate. (Yonap)

In South Korea, Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems are found in the majority of mobile devices.

The commission did not clarify whether these tech giants will be scrutinized. The plan is to focus on companies that have key technologies and can utilize their standard essential patents to keep rivals out of the market or demand unfair royalties from users, the FTC said.

Besides OS companies, the watchdog said it plans to work with other fair trade regulators around the world to monitor international cartels.

The commission said it is interested in how prices are set for key parts and industrial materials imported for use in automobiles and the electronics sector.

The FTC added that it will resume examination of a merger and acquisition deal between Microsoft and Nokia to determine whether it disrupts fair competition in the country.